newbie questions regarding a Concord LED

[justfoundaconcord]

I purchased this watch at a neighborhood thrift shop this morning. I know absolutely nothing about LED watches, but I knew it was something special, so I was hoping you guys could help out. What's the type/size of battery needed? How rare is this watch? Should I consider paying for repairs if it's not working? Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks!




By justfoundaconcor

[BENRUS]

Is this it?
http://www.ledwatches.net/photo-pages/concord3.htm

[justfoundaconcord]

Yes it is

[joshhorn]

Hey there,

Welcome to the forums!

Your watch looks very similar to my CompuChron model. Just thought I'd mention that!! :) - If you look at my avatar that's what mine looks like.

Josh!

[justfoundaconcord]

Thanks for the reply, Josh. My watch is definitely a Concord. I'll try to post some additional pics.

[joshhorn]

Hey!

Yeah - I just noticed the similarities between the two. - It seems you picked up one that's kinda rare! (According to what the linked page says).

[justfoundaconcord]

Here are some more pics:



By justfoundaconcor


By justfoundaconcor


By justfoundaconcor

[BENRUS]

If you show us a picture of the Battery Compartment (or the backside of watch), someone might be able to better guess the battery size.
I looked up Concord Watch info from the '70s, and this is what I found:

CONCORD -
(North American Watch Corp.)
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
(212)-586-6569
...(I'm sure this Watch Company does not exist any more, and the phone number none working...This info is really super old).
Maybe this helps a little?
Good Luck

[LEDluvr]

Yes, a pic of the case back and the inside back of the module would be most helpful. The gold looks very clean, could it be in fact gold filled and not just gold-tone?

[bucko170]

Or could it be solid 18k That would be a find

[notonly1]

As you can see, Concord made 2 sizes of this model. The larger one has the display button at 2 o'clock and the set button at 8 o'clock (approx.) and the smaller one has the buttons at 2 and 10. You obviously have the larger model which uses a Hughes Aircraft 1" (25mm) module and takes #386 batteries. You should be able to find these at any store that sells button batteries.
Good luck, I hope it works.
btw, Good score. It's in fantastic condition.

[justfoundaconcord]

Thanks so much for all the info, guys. I really appreciate it.

I'll try some #386 button batteries and will also visit the local jeweler to check for gold

Hopefully I'll have some great news to share with you all later today

[joshhorn]

Yeah! Let us know if it works!!

I'm really admiring your watch, I hope it works! - It definitly is in good phyiscal shape from the photos. I really like the gold color, it looks good. -

Josh!

[justfoundaconcord]

Bad news, guys. It's dead as a doornail.

I purchased a fresh pair of #386 batteries and it's definitely not working.

So what's next? I REALLY like the watch, but is it worth it for me to invest in a repair? How expensive will it be? Would I be able to at least recoup the repair costs if I decided to refurbish and sell later?

I've added some pics of the module and caseback.

Thanks again for all the feedback!


By justfoundaconcor


By justfoundaconcor

[joshhorn]

This might sound dumb, but I know when I bought batteries for my CompuChron, I did not realize that one battery went positive side down and the other one the opposite.

Just wondering if you might of put the batteries in like I did.

Anyway,

Just trying to help,

:)

Josh!

[justfoundaconcord]

Hey Josh-

I appreciate your help. I did try the batteries in every which-way possible but no luck.

The metal thingy that sits across the batteries is missing a prong.
Would that keep the watch from functioning?

David

[joshhorn]

Hmm, I'm not sure, I'm sure one of the more expirenced guys would know. But I wonder if that could be the problem. - I THINK I read another post that talked about the little metal strip being replaced with something as simple as a beer can strip.

[clockace]

in looking at the photo of the cell compartments, the side that takes the minus side of the cell has what appears to be a white plastic insulator that would limit the depth the cell sits in the compartment. many of the newer cells are flatter on the minus side. cells from years ago had the minus side protrude farther out from the side of the cell. you may not be making contact on the minus side. the metal strip, if it does straddle the cells, doesn't look like it is even needed to complete the circuit since the s/s back would do the same thing. the long prong on it may go into the square hole on the module molding that separates the cells. if this is the case it may not need 2 prongs. just my 2 cents. peter p/s, nice watch, i would get it fixed

[justfoundaconcord]

Hi Peter-

The minus contact area appears to be slightly raised, just above the white 'insulator' ring, so the battery is definitely making contact.

I'm going to tinker with it some more today. I might get lucky

David

[funkyguy]

hey "justfoundaconcord"
yes the concord range are nice items..i have the 2 18k gold versions.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... D=36060905



bit of a maybe fix...ive breathed life back into modules by simply heating the module up..e.g hairdryer etc..be careful not to be to aggresive and not over heat,but ive had success on at least 10 occasions where modules didnt fire up on first putting in batteries..

p.s i have both of theses concord models for sale or trade.
pm me anyone whos interested..cheers.

good luck.

lonon -funk

[Led-Time]

Thats a very nice watch you have there...

When you put the batteries in is there any sign at all of the display flickering or a single digit lighting up.

Something I've found in the past with Hughes modules that have been lying around for a while an oxide forms on the battery contact pads which is non-conductive I know this sounds silly but when cleaned up the modules have worked perfectly also remember to clean the little contact tab in the negative battery well, but be careful don't go scraping the contacts too heavily.

The PCB's on these modules are well known to be a bit fragile fitting the wrong batteries cracks them cutting the thin electrical tracks on the surface of the PBC rendering it scrap you'll see them easily where the batteries sit.

[LEDluvr]

justfoundaconcord, I'd also recommend wiping the contact pads and the metal prongs (the strip and the the ones on the caseback)
with some rubbing alchohol on the end of a q-tip and let it dry completely before putting the batteries back in. I've also had issues with 'dead' hughes module watches that once cleaned - fired right up.

Sometimes after leaving the batteries in there for a day two it will come back to life. It' happend with my LCD's anyway.

There are several repair persons on this site that should be able to repair it or replace it if you want to go that route.
I would - it's a nice watch.